Last Friday, the New York Times travel section
came out with an article, which caught my attention. The article, "In
Turkey, Adventure Travel Takes the Plunge," introduces to its reader
the Turkish coastal region of Kas, just miles away from the Greek Island of
Meis (Kastellorizo). Here, Americans and Europeans will find nothing short of paradise.
What the article fails to highlight is that
Syrian refugees are dying in these waters with increasing frequency. Since
January 1, over 400 people have lost their lives making the journey from the
Turkish coast to the Greek Islands, while 72,000 have reached Greece,
traumatized by their sea journey and facing new hardships. True, most of the refugees are crossing much farther north from Kas, in the Aegean waters, but just earlier this month a group of Syrian refugees were returned to Turkey after trying to reach the island of Meis.
The NYT article does briefly mention the
refugee issue. However, the information provided appears to have been written
last summer and not updated. Further, it strangely juxtaposes the refugee
vis-à-vis the tourist, who is unable to reach Greece:
Our family agreed that it was our best holiday ever...
Not everything was perfect, of course. I would have preferred actually stepping onto the isle of Meis to start the Greece-to-Turkey swim instead of hopping from the boat a long way offshore. (That shore-to-shore crossing is undertaken by locals in an annual race in June — and at night by refugees passing through Turkey to seek asylum in Greece. Ali Gumrukcu, the captain of the daily ferry between Kas and Meis, said that of the roughly 400 refugees crossing the water into Greece each month, most of them from Syria, 10 to 20 brave the swim, waiting for nights with no moonlight so they would be undetected).
However, these waters are safe. According to
the NYT:
The locations usually feature clear, relatively
calm water free of watercraft and sharks. The tour guides are certified beach
lifeguards with first aid training and powerboat licenses. They say the biggest
hazards can be Jet Skis, jelly fish, sudden storms and swimmer fatigue.
Seeing endless tragic videos of refugees in trouble at sea, I could not help compare their plight with that of the European and American tourists:
*A tourist spends about $1,000, which gets them hotel, boat and daytime meals but not
flights, dinners or tips. The pricier tours are based on boats. Swimmers are
often in their 30s to 50s, though ages range from 16 to the 80s.
*A Refugee pays about a $1000 to a smuggler to
cross from Turkey to Greece. They too are of all ages. However, if they are
caught by the Turkish Coast Guard (or soon to be NATO ships), they are
forcefully returned, with smugglers making away with their money.
*Tourists are required to get
travel insurance.
*Refugees have no life
insurance.
*Tourists are promised to have the luxury of
having certified life vests
*Refugees often buy uncertified life vests
which are dangerous. They are not able to hold body weight, which lead to
drowning.
*Tourists are guaranteed an
"open water swimming experience"
*Refugees often receive the
"open water swimming" experience with even the strong ones not strong
enough to survive.
Turkish Coast Guard rescues a lone survivor, have a watch and learn more about the refugee issue.
Of course, my
point is not to say that Turkey should not be a tourist destination. That would
be ridiculous. I too have been to Kas and can tell you the article is not at
all exaggerating in terms of its beauty. It is simply breathtaking.
Further, tourism continues to the Greek Islands despite the influx of refugees.
There is no difference here. Further, Turkey is home to over 2.5 million refugees and should be commended on taking in so many people. This is certainly not a reason not to go there.
However, the NYT travel section editor should have shown sensitivity to the issue,
realizing that now is not the time to pitch a story about a summer swim
get-a-way in a place where so many people are drowning on a daily basis. Or, if it did not want to shelve the article, it could have provided up-to-date information on the
plight of the refugees, weaving it into the story. For example, one local Turkish site provides information on how tourists can help refugees while visiting Kas, or the neighboring Kalkan.
Perhaps, the
travel editor should have picked up its own paper to understand that the timing
was not right. The NYT regularly reports about the refugee crisis. In fact,
just a day after the discussed article came out, its Istanbul Correspondent, Ceylan Yeginsu,
issued an important in-depth story focusing on the rampant death of refugees at
sea, entitled: Constant
Tide of Migrants at Sea, and at Turkish Cemetery, which I highly recommend to read.
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